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Table 2-15: Number of Pilot-Reported Near Midair Collisions (NMAC) by Degree of Hazard

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 2-15: Number of Pilot-Reported Near Midair Collisions (NMAC) by Degree of Hazard

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  1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total, all degrees of hazard 568 758 454 348 311 254 275 238 194 238 211 257 239 211 180 (R) 161 (R) 144 (R) 138 (R) 106 (R) 110 93
Criticala 118 180 74 52 46 35 47 32 26 31 22 28 30 37 26 15 16 14 (R) 6 (R) 14 10
Potentialb 319 423 266 197 195 158 139 139 101 105 100 110 130 96 85 88 62 (R) 78 (R) 55 (R) 53 43
No hazardc 122 133 114 99 70 61 71 63 55 70 53 55 49 51 42 (R) 37 31 20 (R) 17 (R) 21 12
Unclassifiedd 9 22 0 0 0 0 18 4 12 32 36 64 30 27 27 21 (R) 35 (R) 26 (R) 28 (R) 22 28
NMAC involving aircraft operating under 14 CFR 121e U U 136 117 76 60 71 50 56 82 70 66 75 48 53 (R) 55 (R) 44 (R) 42 24 (R) 24 8

KEY: R = revised; U = data are not available.

a A situation where collision avoidance was due to chance, rather than an act on the part of the pilot. Less than 100 feet of aircraft separation would be considered critical.

b An incident that would probably have resulted in a collision if no action had been taken by either pilot. Less than 500 feet would usually be required in this case.

c When direction and altitude would have made a midair collision improbable regardless of evasive action taken.

d No determination could be made due to insufficient evidence or unusual circumstances, or because incident is still under investigation.

e Before Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121 applied only to aircraft with more than 30 seats or a maximum payload capacity of more than 7,500 pounds. Since Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121 includes aircraft with 10 or more seats that formerly operated under 14 CFR 125. This change makes it difficult to compare pre-1997 data with more recent years' data.

NOTES

NMACs are reported voluntarily to the FAA so these numbers may not be representative. Reporters consist of pilots of air carriers, general aviation and other aircraft involved in public-use operations. Incidents involving military aircraft may be included if they also involved a civilian aircraft.

SOURCES

All data except NMAC involving 121 aircraft:

1980-85: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Statistical Handbook Annual Report (Washington, DC: Annual issues) and personal communication, Aug. 6, 2002.

1990-2008: Ibid., Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) System, database query, available at https://www.nasdac.faa.gov/ as of July 27, 2009.

NMAC involving 121 aircraft:

1980-85: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Resource Management, personal communication, Aug. 6, 2002.

1990-2008: Ibid., Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) System, database query, available at https://www.nasdac.faa.gov/ as of July 27, 2009.